The Forney surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,755 people carried this name — #5,172 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 6,600 in 2000.

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In Switzerland’s population statistics

130 people named Forney live in Switzerland.

They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 71
Fribourg 16
Geneva 14
Bern 13
Zurich 4
Basel-Landschaft 3
Neuchâtel 3
Solothurn 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 26 people named Forney.

4 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 12 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 4
Paris 7
Vaucluse 2
Dordogne 2
Jura 2
Hérault 2
Meuse 1
Haut-Rhin 1
Loir-et-Cher 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

20 people named Forney have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 26 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 1 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Kuyavian-Pomeranian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Kuyavian-Pomeranian 20

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In print

Forney in American newspapers,
1854–1901.

Newspaper page from Wilmington Journal carrying the name Forney
Wilmington Journal 1860-06-14
Newspaper page from The Athens Post carrying the name Forney
The Athens Post 1854-05-26
Newspaper page from Rawlins Republican carrying the name Forney
Rawlins Republican 1901-11-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 101,859 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Forney in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

387 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Forney. The most, 67, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 177
Queensland 98
Victoria 60
South Australia 30
Tasmania 11
Western Australia 10
ACT (Canberra) 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Forney.

Who carried it

People named Forney,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Weiss Forney
    John Weiss Forney 1817–1881 · writer
  • William H. Forney
    William H. Forney 1823–1894 · lawyer
  • John Horace Forney
    John Horace Forney 1829–1902 · military personnel
  • James Forney
    James Forney 1844–1921 · military officer
  • Peter Forney 1756–1834 · politician
  • Daniel Munroe Forney 1784–1847 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Forney,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States452 records

452 records of the Forney name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 265
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 97
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 31
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 17
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 17
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 9
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 8
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Byron P. Forney

    Born 1917 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Houston; pattern maker from Harris County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dennis Ray Forney

    Born 1948; from Duncan, Oklahoma. U.S. Army, infantryman; died of wounds 1969 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margt Forney

    Arrived at New York in 1851 aboard the Erie from Liverpool, aged 50; servant. From Great Britain.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 452 records for Forney in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia8 records

8 records of the Forney name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Forney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Europa, aged 7; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mgt Forney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Europa, aged 28; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Forney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Europa, aged 35; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Forney in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France8 records

8 records of the Forney name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Mathieu Forney

    Born 1927 in Sète; died 1981 in Sète (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Suzanne Georgette Forney

    Born 1896 in Paris; died 1992 in La Celle-Saint-Cloud (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Yvette Raymonde Forney

    Born 1913 in Saint-Capraise-de-Lalinde (Dordogne); died 1979 in Talence (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Forney in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Forney name in Germany
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Julius Forney

    From Mühlhausen. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 27 September 1914 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 87).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Forney in Germany.

Counts: Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0) · Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Forney.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Forney is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Forney volume
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